


Vapour

by raktajinos



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, M/M, No Homophobia, Swearing, Undercover as a Couple, cause the future will be that way, queer positive future, shhh ignore the star trek reference, stupid fox for cancelling this, tropey excuse of a plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-07 09:38:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1894233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raktajinos/pseuds/raktajinos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Dorian have to go undercover as a couple at a club to try and lure out someone who is attacking human/android couples....made the more difficult by John's recent reluctant acceptance that he might kinda sorta be somewhat into his partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vapour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mm8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm8/gifts).



> _*sobs into her desk* why is this show over. WHYYYYY._
> 
>  Also, this story wouldn't have happened without [this fabulous playlist](http://8tracks.com/itsmaleficentbitch/your-body-is-a-machine) by itsmaleficentbitch over on 8tracks.

The music thumped loudly in the club, making his bones vibrate. He knew his ears would be practically bleeding by the time this case was over, this was the fourth night in a row they’d gone out to a club trying to lure out a killer. And John fucking hated it. Car chases, drug dealers, hell even bombs around necks was preferable to this. He hated clubs; the loud music, people in his space, touching him randomly. 

“John, you’re supposed to look like you are enjoying yourself,” Dorian said calmly, leaning into his personal space as they walked into the club.

John rolled his eyes, knowing it just helped complete the look; the dour frown had been on his face since Maldonado had approved the undercover mission that morning. Someone had been attacking human/cyborg couples at clubs, the crowded space allowing the perpetrator to bump into them and inject the cyborg partner with a synthetic carcinogen that burned through the polyalloy circuitry in the spine, immobilizing the victim and eventually killing them. Two people had already died from it, but the latest two victims had been saved due to the nature of their cyborg implants, the latter of which had been a DRN variation. The perpetrator didn’t seem to differentiate between cyborg and robot. 

Dorian had been requested for the case due to his unique position, which meant John was as well. The first two nights they’d simply been a presence at the clubs, a pseudo undercover job, “socializing” at the bar keeping an eye on the dance floor. But nothing. Then _this_ plan was concocted when they noticed a pattern in the attacks. All the attacks had happened at clubs where DJ Roboto was working that night; John had rolled his eyes when they’d interviewed the man, who was more robot than man he had so many grafts in his body, _’hence the name’_ he’d cockily teased John. 

The DJ had clearly been their primary suspect, but the weirdo had been cleared with rock solid alibis. Besides, a cyborg was unlikely to be the one targeting others of his kind, this was most likely the work of a human zealot. DJ Roboto was scheduled to play next at Club Zan this evening and Maldonato had approved the undercover mission, needing to prevent any more attacks and catch this freak. 

As much as John respected the case, he hated undercover work. You spent too much energy on trying to blend in that your focus was distracted from the job. And he hated having to pretend to be happy - which is what this particular mission called for. 

He and Dorian were undercover as a happy couple out for a good time. They were supposed to drink, dance, and have fun. There were officers stationed all throughout the club, even one of the bartenders was one of them. As much as he hated undercover work, Dorian fucking loved it. He’d gotten into ‘acting’ recently as a way to “express his humanity” and had joined a community theatre group which had resulted in John seeing more Shakespeare in the Park than he ever wanted to. _Robots doing Macbeth,_. But it made his partner happy and though he’d never admit it, he liked seeing Dorian happy - even if that meant he had to read lines with him. Because of his ‘flair for the dramatic’ Dorian had spent far too much time than was necessary developing his “character” for the night, working on one for John too - to which he’d just rolled his eyes and put on the outfit that had been picked out for him. 

He put on a forced smile and turned to Dorian, “better?” 

“Some. You are actually quite handsome when you smile John,” he replied, eyes scanning the club, “perhaps Detective Stahl would be more receptive if you smiled more.”

John snorted in retort, doubting it. 

“You disagree?” Dorian asked, hearing his snort over the loud music. 

“Just my disposition seems to be working just fine for you,” John said back, his voice teasing. 

Dorian grinned at him. _Fuck_ he loved that grin. His whole mouth really. John had to reluctantly accept recently that he might kinda sorta be somewhat into his partner. He’d denied it for a long time, putting his strong emotional reaction to other things; frustration, irritation, depression, anger. And while those things were true, he was an emotional mess, crippled by his experiences.

There was just something about his partner…..

Of course it was something about Dorian; there'd been something about Dorian since the first day he met the damned man. 

John had been perfectly happy being alone, working alone, and he scared away or destroyed any other partner they put him with. Dorian though, he stuck it out and he made John.... _feel_ things, made him act like a human being again. He made him laugh again, real true full-out laughter. He made him feel valued, the way Dorian never gave up on him and always pushed back against him, forcing him to come back out into the world….

He laughed at himself, chuckling in his head at the irony of it all. It took a robot to break him out of the cycle of PTSD-induced violence he’d found himself in, making him feel things he’d shut his body off from experiencing, only allowing the dark emotions to guide him. 

Begrudging tolerance and respect at first, which was quite the accomplishment considering how much he hated people. He really only had one friend these past few years, and what did that say about a man when your only friend was also your boss. He loved Sandra, she was the sister he never had. They’d been through some serious shit together and she was the one person who had stuck by him when he’d spiralled.  
Now he had three friends; Sondra, Dorian and Rudy, though he’d never tell the awkward engineer that he considered him that way, he’d never hear the end of it. Dorian all but had to torture a confession of affection out of him. 

Somewhere along the way, that affection had turned into attraction. He wasn’t sure if he loved Dorian, but he could see himself maybe falling in love with him, if he allowed himself to do it. Because, as Sandra had told him one night over a bottle of whiskey, you don’t sit through nine performances of A Midsummer's Nights Dream for ‘just a friend’. “Go for it John,” she’d told him, her speech slurring. He’d found it ironic that his boss was telling him to deliberately break the code of ethics and date his partner, and he told her as much and she’d just shrugged. “Plus, he’s fucking hot,” she finished. 

He was beautiful sure, half the precinct liked to check him out on a daily basis, but it was more than that for John. He seemed more _human_ than anyone else, certainly more than John was. And he loved that. Needed that. 

He watched him now, the blue and purple lights of the club creating moving shadows on his face, John thought he looked beautiful. Not just hot, but beautiful. 

He snapped back to the present, as they had approached the bar. Detective Ronstal took John’s order, looking ridiculous in a tight black leather shirt and John had to hold back his laughter. 

They stood awkwardly at the bar for a few minutes, trying to look casual and like they were on a date. Even when he was younger he never took his dates to places like this, preferring activities where you could actually talk to the person; which was shocking considering his lack of desire to talk to people now. Regardless, he had no real idea how to act in a place like this. Thankfully, neither did Dorian, though the other man looked considerably more comfortable leaning against the bar than he felt. 

“Shall we dance?” Dorian asked finally.

John nodded, throwing the last bit of his drink back before grabbing Dorian’s hand and dragging him out to the dance floor. 

The music pounded, and John moved himself closer to Dorian, swaying to the music, the sweaty bodies of the other dancers pressing in around them. This was hard, like he’d expected it to be. Having to pretend to be attracted to your partner when you were already attracted to him made this case painful; it was harder to find the line. Part of him was excited, knowing he could touch Dorian and put it off as ‘acting’ if it was received badly and he’d have the memories of the night. But a larger part of him was nervous sick with being this close to something he wanted, that even one taste would leave him bitter and cold afterwards, knowing he couldn’t have it again. 

He had his hands on Dorian’s hips, fingers digging through the jean, pulling him closer. Dorian had his hands in the air, dancing energetically. 

“Are you enjoying yourself, John?” he yelled over the music. 

He made a strangled face, eyebrows furrowed. “I guess,” he answered. He _was_ actually having a good time, but dammit if he was going to admit it.  
Dorian smiled at him as if he could tell what John was thinking. 

“Shut up,” John said teasingly. 

“You should relax more,”

“Ya, we’re working. Less relaxing for you there buddy,” 

“I am an excellent multitasker,” 

“I bet,” 

John let his eyes wander over Dorian’s body while he wasn’t looking, his partner scanning the dance floor for any curious behaviour. There was no sweat on the synthetic skin, but it glowed, a combination of the club lights, his own robotic circuitry lighting in mesmerizing patterns under his skin, and the specialty lotion he’d applied earlier that evening. John had nearly embarrassed himself while he watched Dorian rub the blue liquid into his skin, covering his torso, arms and neck with it. Now it gave him an ethereal look and John wanted to lick it, see what it tasted like, see if he would respond like a human to his touch. 

John had teased Dorian endlessly about whether or not he had the parts for sex, mostly it was just banter, but it had also been a way for John to get information, curious as he was. When Dorian had exposed himself to John in the car that day, calling his bluff like never before, he pretty much knew then that he was into him. His gut response was to lean over, wrap his hand around Dorian and see if he could really experience it, see if John could bring him off. He didn’t though, he’d just played the moment off, filing the image for later. 

The image flashed into his mind now and it was like the push he needed, his body going into overdrive as arousal coursed through him. The music pulsed around them and John let his body go, writhing with Dorian as they melded into the other couples on the dance floor. 

Dorian pushed his hands through John’s hair, pulling gently, and John licked his lips. He moved one hand from it’s place on Dorian’s hip and ran it up his chest, feeling the smooth contours of the synthskin, before resting around the android’s neck, his big hand a stark contrast to the beautiful hue and smoothness of Dorian’s skin. 

His nose flared and he just dove in, pulling the android’s face closer and kissing him. The move startled Dorian and there was a pause before he kissed John back, the lights under his skin lighting up. His lips were as soft as John had fantasized, strong and firm against his, his mouth tasting oddly of peppermint. Dorian pushed his tongue into John’s mouth, duelling with his, and John wondered where the hell Dorian had learned to kiss like this; doubting it was something the DRN’s were programmed with.

They eventually had to pull apart, oxygen becoming an issue for John. His chest was heaving, pushing against Dorian’s as they stood head-to-toe, legs intertwined. John knew Dorian could feel the press of his arousal against his leg, and while he didn’t care a moment ago, suddenly he was nervous and he moved to step away. 

Dorian stopped him however with a solid hand on his ass. “Don’t,” he said, and John stopped, the use of the contraction more than the word itself halting him. 

“Keep dancing, if we alter our behaviour it might tip off the target,” he said calmly and John inwardly sighed. He’d hoped Dorian’s refusal to let him go was a sign of maybe a mutual attraction. 

“Right,” was the only thing he replied, moving once more to the music albeit this time less free. As awkward as it was to have one of Dorian’s legs wedged between his own, his erection pressing into the android’s hip, he was thankful the position prevented them from making eye contact. He didn’t think he could handle _that_ right now, the piercing blue eyes of his partner. 

“Um, sorry about that,” John said, hand still wrapped around Dorian’s neck, his thumb absently rubbing little circles into the skin there. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, the kiss or the aforementioned issue below the belt. 

“It is not a problem John,” Dorian said quietly, “you are attracted to me, it is quite normal,” 

“Well someone has a high opinion of themselves,” John teased, deliberately twisting his words, irritated with Dorian’s direct approach to the issue.

Dorian laughed lightly, “I mean your physical response is normal to the feeling you are experiencing,” 

John groaned inwardly. “Did you just read my vitals?” he asked with a biting tone.

“No, you asked me to stop doing that,”

“And you did?”

“Yes. With the exception of during relevant work situations where my awareness of your physical health is necessary,”

“Oh,” John replied, having nothing else to say. He was touched by Dorian’s respect of his boundaries. “Well, thanks.” 

“Am I correct in the assumption of your attraction to me? Without scanning your vitals I have to rely on other information,” 

“Yes,” John reluctantly admitted. 

There was a pause that made John feel sick inside. Dorian was going to request a partner change; he could see it now, the embarrassment as Maldonato gave him a pitying look. He’d play it off as he always did when he had to get a new partner - that he was just an asshole that was difficult to work with. 

“I am flattered, thank you John,” Dorian finally said. 

“It’s like you’re addressing a letter to a flower store,” John mumbled. 

“I am...unsure how to proceed in a situation like this as I have never experienced it before,” he added a stilted awkwardness in his voice that made him sound more robotic than normal. 

“Well just don’t make a big deal out of it, I won’t do anything about it, it won’t affect our work,” John said, trying to cover his ass, not wanting to lose Dorian from his life completely. Even if the man didn’t want him that way, John still valued his friendship. 

“What if I want you to?” 

“What?” John asked, confused. 

“I reciprocate your attraction,” 

“You reciprocate?” John exclaimed, torn between excitement and the desire to tease Dorian about his word choice. 

“Yes,”

“Oh, well….I’m flattered, thank you Dorian,” he used the same phrase, trying to lighten the mood, pull it away from where it was going even though he desperately wanted it to go there. He was really his own worst enemy. 

“Perhaps after we -” Dorian didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence, his entire body freezing, the lights on his face sparking red before he fell rigid towards John. 

“Dorian!” John yelled, catching his partner and lowering him to the ground, the corner of his eye watching a man with white hair moving away quickly. 

His eyes scanned the dance floor, trying to see anything, his hands roaming Dorian’s body trying uselessly to help him. 

He tapped the comm in his hand, “Dorian is down, shut the club down, suspect is male with white hair,” he yelled into the microphone. 

The music went dead and the lights came on, the room of people looking around bewildered as two dozen police officers filled the space. 

\--

It took an hour to process everyone in the club, the man with the white hair caught, four other needles in his bag. 

Guilt plagued John, replaying that moment in his head over and over again. If he hadn’t been so distracted by Dorian, so caught up in his feelings, he could have pretended this. Dorian would be safe, standing next to him, instead of medevaced out to Rudy’s lab where his life hung in the balance. John had _seen_ him, seen the man, subconsciously noting his characteristics. If he’d been focusing he would have caught him _before_...

“Stop it,” Maldonato ordered coming up to stand next to him.

“What?”

“Replaying it in your head. I can practically see you beating yourself up inside that head of yours,” she smiled.

“It was my fault,” he confessed, hanging his head.

“Later. Rudy called,” she said, smiling when John snapped his head up looking at her intently. 

“Dorian is fine,” she said and John let out an audible sigh of relief. “He’s going to be off duty for a bit, they caught the synth before it did any major damage, but he’s going to need some repairs and new parts,” she continued. 

John just nodded, pleased he was going to be okay. 

“He’s awake and is apparently eager to see you,” she said smiling a cat-in-the-milk smile at him. 

He rolled his eyes, “damn partner,” he said, nodding to his Captain before heading to the door.


End file.
